Apparatus for the production of gas

ABSTRACT

Apparatus for the production of gas by exothermic reaction and in particular by combustion of liquid, solid or gaseous materials, has a furnace and a heat exchanger mounted in a common envelope and means are provided for adjusting the outlet temperature of the combustion gases. The heat exchanger may be in the form of tube bundles housed in lateral chambers flanking an elongate combustion chamber of the furnace. The means for adjusting the outlet temperature of the combustion gases may be adjustable orifices which provide communication between the lateral chambers and the adjacent spaces of the envelope. Further adjustable means may provide communication between the furnace combustion chamber and the outlet for the gases.

United States Patet 1191.

David [541 APPARATUS FOR THE PRODUCTION OF GAS [75] Inventor: Fernand Antoine David, Epinal,

France [73] Assignee: Ateliersl-lenri Lardet, Vosges,

France 221 Filed: Dec. 4, 1972 211 App1.No.:3l2,224

[30] Foreign Application Priority Data 10/1964 Danko et a1. 122/328 X Demarest i l22/336X Mcllroy et a1. 23/278 Primary Examiner--Kennetl'1 W. Sprague Attorney, Agent, or FirmS'tevens, Davis, Miller &

Mosher [57] STRACT Apparatus for the production of gas by exothermic reaction and in particular by combustion of liquid, solid or gaseous materials, has a furnace and a heat exchanger mounted in a common envelope and means are provided for adjusting the outlet temperature of the combustion gases. The heat exchanger may be in the form-of tube bundles housed in lateral chambers flanking an elongate combustion chamber of the furnace. The means for adjusting the outlet temperature of the combustion gases may be adjustable orifices which .provide communication between the lateral chambers and the adjacent'spaces of the envelope.

' Further adjustable means may provide communication between the'furnace combustion chamber and the outlet for the gases.

'6 Claims, 3 Drawing Figures PATENTEUJUH 1 1 19m SHEET 3 OF 3 Q mm m? wmru NW Y I 1 t APPARATUS FOR THE PRODUCTION OF GAS This invention relates to apparatus for the production of gas by exothermic reaction and in particular by the combustion of solid, liquid or gaseous materials.

The invention aims to provide apparatus of this kind which enables the extraction of the gases at a temperature suitable for their subsequent employment. Installations known up to the present time for this purpose have included separately: a combustion furnace, a recuperator boiler and a device for regulating the temperature of the gases.

According to the present invention, apparatus for the production of gases by exothermic reaction and in particular by combustion is. characterized in that it includes a furnace combined with a heat exchanger and having means for. adjusting the outlet temperature of the combustion gases, the assembly of the furnace and the heat exchanger being enclosed in an envelope.

Advantageously, the internal surface of the envelope may be maintained, during normal operation, at a temperature above the dew point of the gases, the regulation of the outlet temperature of the gases being effected by withdrawal of gas from thefurnace and/or at one or more points along their paththrough the apparatus and mixing of the withdrawn gases with the gas leaving the apparatus. g

The invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which FIG. 1 is a schematic sectional side elevation of one embodiment of apparatus in accordance with the invention,

FIG. 2 is a transverse sectional view of the apparatus of FIG. 1 taken on the line IIlI of FIG. 3, and

FIG. 3 is a sectional plan taken on the line IIlIII.of

FIG. I.

In the embodiment shown in the drawing, the furnace is enclosed in a cylindrical sheet metal envelope 1, disposed horizontally on cradles 2 (FIGS. 1 and 2).

The furnace includes a hearth 3 of refractory bricks, the composition and thickness of which are determined in such a way that during normal operation the portion of the envelope on which the hearth is disposed will be maintained at the same temperature as the rest of the envelope.

Connected to the hearth 3 are lateral walls 4 also formed of refractory bricks fitted between tubes 5 situated closer to the outwardly-facing surface of said walls than the inwardly-facing surfaces thereof. The tubes 5 are situated in vertical planes, and they connect lowerheaders 6 which go around the furnace and a main central shell 8 towards which the upper portions of the walls 4 converge and which is disposed above the roof 9 of the furnace.

The tubes 5 are spaced apart equidistantly along the a major portion of the length of the walls 4, as shown in 2. Externally,'the mouthpiece 13 is surrounded by a casing 15 of frusto-conical shape joined to the envelopefl so as to close the latter at the front end (FIGS. 1 and 3 At its rear end, the furnace isclosed by a double wall 16 formed by two rows of refractory bricks respectively fitted, like the wall 4, between two rows of tubes 17 which also connect the lower headers 6 to the main central shell 8 (FIG. 1). The double wall 16 has a central cavity 18 limited laterally by intermediate layers 19 of refractory material. The cavity 18 communicates with the interior of the furnace through lateral ports 20 and it also communicates, through central ports 21, with an outlet pipe 22 secured to the outer wall and the outwardly-directed end of whichcontains a valve 23 which can be operated from the outside by means of a handwheel 24 (FIG. 3). A portion of the combustion gases can therefore leave thefurnace, by being bypassed through the pipe 22, which enables the outlet temperature of the gases to be regulated outside the apparatus. I V

The pipe 22 and the valve 23 may be constructed of refractor'yimaterial. In the drawing, the pipe 22 is made conical casing 27 to which is connected a flue 28serving to lead the gases towards apparatus (not shown) which utilizes them.

The cooling device for the gases is constituted by two tube bundles 29 disposed respectively along the lateral walls 4. The tubes of these bundles 'are connected at their upper ends to headers 7 which communicate with the main central shell 8 and at their lower ends to headers 30 (FIG. 2) which communicate with the lower headers 6. a

The tube bundles 29 are disposed in distribution chambers 31 extending from the double wall 16 (FIG.

' 3) and into which the combustion gases enter through the openings 10. Laterally, thecha'mbers 31 are limited by a partition 32 which maybe formedin part of a refractory, metallic or ceramic sheathing laid on, or fitted to, the external tubes of the bundle. Above and below the chambers-31 are closed by the headers 7 and 30, respectively, gas-tightness between these collectors being ensured by refractory packings 33 and 34 (FIG. 2). The chambers 31 are open towards the front, the partitions 32 terminating a short distance from the front casing 15 of the envelope, as shown in FIG. 3.

At certain places, the partitions 32 are pierced with openings 35. These openings can be more or less sealed by valves 36 operable from the outside by handwheels 37, with the object of diverting towards the main gas outlet of the apparatus (i.e. the flue 28) a portion of the combustion gases at a higher temperature than that which is obtained in the main flow of the combustion gases at the downstream end of the cooling bundles 29. This provides a second means for regulating the temperature of the gases issuing from the apparatus (the first being provided by the valve 23).

The above-described arrangement of the apparatus enables the apparatus to be subjected to raised operating pressures. In addition it ensures a rapid raising of the apparatus tothe working temperature and 'the dew point of the gases. The internal surface of the envelopeis practically at the same temperature everywhere. v l

The whole of the exchanger is placed in the envelope with the exception of some service pipes, namely a pipe 38 connected to the lower headers 6 and a pipe 39 coming from the main shell 8 (FIG. 1). Due to this, expansions can take place without restriction, without it being necessary to provide any special devices which might interruptthe homogeneity of the temperature of the walls and so expose them to the risk of cracking and corrosion.

The main shell 8, which is fed with water fromoutside by a feed pipe 40 (FIG. 1), is connected to the lower headers 6. by means of conduits 41 situated towards the ends of the envelope 1 on each side of the furnace (FIG. 3). These conduits 41 also assist in providing mechanical stability to the exchanger assembly.

I charge their mixture of water and steam through the headers 7 which are fixed on the main shell 8 (HO. 2).

The steam produced is led away through the upper pipe 39. The assembly may be evacuated or purged through the lower pipe 38. I

According to a modification shown in the drawing, a super-heater 42'having its'heat exchange tubes in communication with the'steam space of the main shell 8 is interposed'between two groups of tubes of the bundles 29. The super-heater discharges into a header 43 from which the super-heated steam is led by a pipe 44 (FIG. 1

The two regulating devices described above may be used separately or simultaneously. The first regulating device, which .is constituted by the pipe 22 and the valve 23 and by means of which it is possible to inject directly into the combustion gases leaving the apparatus a portion of the gases from the combustion chamber, permits large variations of the outlet temperature of the combustion gases due to the large differences of temperature and pressure which exist between the two spaces placed in communication by this first regulating device.

The second regulating device, formed by the valves 36 situated in the path of the gases in the tube bundles 29, permits much finer temperature regulation of the combustion gases since the differences of temperatures and of pressures between the spaces placed in communication with one another are smaller.

. These two regulations may, moreover, be chosen as desired, but it is necessary toremark that adjustment of the valves 36 enables the aforesaid differences to varied, so that finer and finer, but nevertheless flexible, adjustments can be made, leading to the temperatures.

The invention may be applied. to the productionof gases of all kinds by exothermic reaction and in particular by combustion of solid, liquid or gaseous materials, for example hydrogen sulphide, muds or sludges from hydrocarbon refineries, etc. It finds a particularly interesting utilization as regards the production of sulphurous gases obtained by the direct combustion of sulphur.

ber, said lateral chamber opening into 'saidenvelope in the vicinity of said combustion device, the partition means having an opening for allowing passage of gas from said combustion chamber into said lateral chamber, and tubular means within said lateral chamber for circulation of acooling fluid for lowering the temperature of gas before it escapes through said outlet.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said tubular means comprises an upper shell, and lower headers, with tube bundles connecting said shell and said lower headers.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein said combustion chamber comprises opposite sidewalls formed by said tubes and refractory materials fitted between said tubes, a lateral chamber being located adjacent to each of said sidewalls. I

4. The apparatus of claim 3 wherein said partition means includes adjustable orifices therein for regulating the outlet temperature of gases produced in the apparatus.

5. The apparatus of claim 3 including adjustable means for controlling the communication of gases between the combustion chamber and the outlet, for regulating the outlet temperature of gases produced in the apparatus. I

6. The apparatus of claim 2 additionally comprising at least one superheater associated with at least one of said tube bundles.

a high stability of 

1. An apparatus for production of gas by exothermic reaction, comprising: an envelope comprising a horizontally-oriented cylindrical body with frusto-conical ends, which include an inlet and an outlet; a furnace within said envelope comprising a combustion device connected to said inlet and a combustion chamber connected to said combustion device; partition means in said envelope for defining a lateral chamber radially outside of said combustion chamber, said lateral chamber opening into said envelope in the vicinity of said combustion device, the partition means having an opening for allowing passage of gas from said combustion chamber into said lateral chamber, and tubular means within Said lateral chamber for circulation of a cooling fluid for lowering the temperature of gas before it escapes through said outlet.
 2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said tubular means comprises an upper shell, and lower headers, with tube bundles connecting said shell and said lower headers.
 3. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein said combustion chamber comprises opposite sidewalls formed by said tubes and refractory materials fitted between said tubes, a lateral chamber being located adjacent to each of said side walls.
 4. The apparatus of claim 3 wherein said partition means includes adjustable orifices therein for regulating the outlet temperature of gases produced in the apparatus.
 5. The apparatus of claim 3 including adjustable means for controlling the communication of gases between the combustion chamber and the outlet, for regulating the outlet temperature of gases produced in the apparatus.
 6. The apparatus of claim 2 additionally comprising at least one superheater associated with at least one of said tube bundles. 